Never Ending Tale
by silvennia
Summary: A wizard without a past. That was what he is. SilverBane never did knew his past, only his present. But he is in deep trouble. Unbeknown to him, fragments of his past is beginning to haunt him once more, which could lead to the destruction of his present
1. Chapter 1

_"Kill, destroy! Kill, destroy!"_

Silver started, and looked around. _Who said that?_ He wondered. There wasn't anyone at sight but huge, pretty flowers and weird, beetle-like monsters. He shrugged and continued his journey. Now and then, as he spied monsters around, he would kill them with a simple fire spell out of boredom. Eventually, he ran out of monsters to kill, and as his feet were aching and his stomach growling, he soon stopped to take a short break.

He was just preparing to roast some ambernite flesh, when he suddenly heard a rustle behind him. Automatically swirling around, he attacked his intruder, only to find a startled young novice at hand. Barely stopping in time, Silver only managed to lessen his blow on her, which had knocked her pretty hard on her head.

"Hey, you're just a novice! Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. Silver quickly gave her his drink of water and placed his makeshift cape under her head. Wincing in pain, the young girl placed her hand tenderly on her head to feel the unbecoming bump. "Yeah, I think I am," she said slowly, trying to get up. But Tranquil held her firmly, refusing to let her up. "Just stay still for awhile and let the stars sail by," he said, with a twinkle in his eye. He knew how hard he could hit her, and was worried if anything were to happen to her.

She nodded and closed her eyes for a while. Meanwhile, Silver managed to save his meal from becoming charcoal. He gave part of his portion to her, urging her to eat and gain strength. The young novice accepted gratefully and soon wolfed down her meal hungrily. "Wow, you sure are hungry!" Silver noted amusedly.

She glanced at him sheepishly. "Yeah, well. It's pretty hard for me to find food here on my own," she replied. "What is a young novice like you doing in the forests of Mount Mjolhnir? Don't you know how dangerous it is out here?" Silver asked curiously.

Again, she looked sheepish and said, "Um, yeah. I knew that. My friends were tanking me actually. But well, I kinda lost them halfway. It's been half a day since I last saw them."

Silver laughed, "I see. Well, would you like me to help you search for your friends?" She nodded excitedly, "Oh, please!"

"Right. Now, before we start our journey, I would like to introduce myself. I'm SilverBane. Just call me Silver. And you are...?" he enquired politely. "Oh, I'm Tranquil. Pleased to meet you, Silver, and thanks for helping me," she said enthusiastically. "No problem," came the reply.


	2. Chapter 2

"Tranquil! There you are! We've been searching for you all over!" a harassed female huntress cried gratefully as she headed towards Silver and Tranquil. Closely following behind her was a knight, assassin, and blacksmith, also looking harassed yet happy to have found their mate.

"Sorry, Mika. I guess I lost you midway while collecting those stuff lying around," Tranquil replied, somewhat abashed at the trouble she had caused.

"Well, next time, stick closer to us, okay?" Mika said sternly, "It's a dangerous place here and you could get hurt."

Defiantly, Tranquil retorted, "But I won't be hurt. Silver can protect me!" The huntress' finally noticed the wizard standing quietly behind her. "I see. Well...Silver, is it? Thank you for rescuing our irresponsible friend. We are grateful for you help," she said. Silver just smiled and said, "No problem."

Just then, Mika's party reached them. "Tranquil, are you okay?" the assassin cried anxiously. The rest voiced out the same question with equal anxiety. Tranquil merely shook her head and said she was fine.

Mika introduced her party members to Silver. There was Sakura, the female knight, Variante, the male assassin, and Black, the male blacksmith. Soon, all of them were shaking hands and chatting like long-lost pals. "Hey, Silver! Want to join our little party here? We're hunting down some earth petite. Oh yeah, and we're helping Tranquil level up soon too. She's going to be an aco soon," added Variante, grinning away.

Silver looked at the sky and shrugged. He didn't have anything to do anyway. Plus, he _was_ pretty bored. Maybe this party would be just the thing to expel the loneliness and that strange feeling inside him. "Sure, why not?" he said jovially. "Yay! Silver's with us!" cheered Tranquil happily. The rest of the party just looked at her amusedly.

Suddenly, before anyone could actually move, a mob of Baphomet came along. "Yikes! What's old Bapho doing here?" yelped Black. "Looks like someone summoned it. Come on! Let's kill it before it does any more harm! Tranquil, stay back. I don't want you to get hurt," Mika said grimly, "And Silver...Silver?"

Before anyone could say a word, Silver dashed out with his arms flailing and yelled, "Hey you ugly brute! You want a piece of me? Come and get it!" Upon hearing his insult, Baphomet muttered something unintelligible and charged towards Silver along with his mob of Baphomet Jr. "Silver, get out of the way! What are you doing?" gasped Sakura as the rushed towards Silver to help him. But before they were at his side, Silver took out his 7 Bone Wand and chanted, "By the Winds that enchants Fire, I summon thee, LORD OF VERMILLION!"

Almost at once, meteors of blazing fire came popping out from nowhere and began shooting towards Bapho and his sidekicks. Silver actually had the time to cast this spell four times without stopping! The monsters yelled with pain and agony, but soon stood up once more and charged towards Silver again. Undeterred, Silver raised his wand once more and chanted, "With the will of Earth and the blessing from goddess Gaia, arise, HEAVEN DRIVE!" SLAM! The earth quivered and spluttered before forming large, sharp spikes of earth. Almost immediately after, Silver took a deep breath and began chanting once more, "By the power of heaven and sky, grant me the forces of blue flame, JUPITEL THUNDER!" CRASH! BOOM! Silver moved from left to right in a blink of an eye, avoiding the death blows from the horned beast as he kept on chanting his spells. Baphomet and his mob soon cried with pain at the double attack before falling down to the ground, dead.

Happily, Silver began collecting the items left behind by the deceased Baphomet. "Yeah, another Bapho card!" he said happily. Then, he noticed the others were staring at him. "What?" he asked self-consciously.

Mika, with her mouth agape, said, "Wow, Silver! You were..." her voice trailed off, speechless.

"You were awesome!" Black exclaimed. Soon, everyone was cheering for Silver. That is, all but Variante. He wasn't sure why, but somehow he got the feeling that he had seen that move before. _I'd better check with the assassin guild later_, he decided.


	3. Chapter 3

"Man, I'm bored! Isn't there any challenging monsters around here?" Black complained. The six of them were staying at an inn in Prontera. Tranquil had just passed her test and finally became a priestess. She was currently out with Silver to do some leveling up at Glast Heim, the undead city. Mika grinned. It wasn't the first time Black had complaint about his boredom. Reckless, tough and head going, Black is all about challenges and rushing headlong into disasters.

"Yo, Black! Just get some dead branches and check out if you can get some nifty monsters. I heard Silver had gotten Dark Lord a few times already," called Sakura mischievously. Black's eyes brightened and immediately raced towards the nearest group of merchants yelling, "Buying dead branch! Deal me! I'll pay 40k for each!"

Laughing, Mika looked at Sakura reprovingly, "Sakura, you know Black can't survive killing those kind of MVP's all alone." Sakura merely shrugged and grinned. "Hey, he did say he was bored, wasn't he?" she giggled. Everyone laughed and agreed with that. Soon, they could hear frantic cries from outside.

"Looks like Black's starting to have fun," laughed Variante, glancing outside from the window. Curious, the rest did the same and laughed at the comical sight. Black had unleashed 10 mermen and a pheeroni at the streets of Prontera, and was running like a madman as he was being chased by all of them. Laughing, he said again, "Come on, let's not leave this poor guy running around all the time. It's time to have some fun!" His eyes gleamed as he picked up his jur.

With that, he dashed out to the door and raced towards the nearest merman before slicing it up. "Mm, sushi anyone?" he grinned mischievously. Laughing even harder, the rest went out and joined him. Soon, every merman was dead and all that was left was the pheeroni. "Yo, Variante! This one's mine," yelled Silver happily as he ran towards the grinning monster. "Hang on, Silver! I'm coming along!" cried Tranquil.

Variante whirled around, surprised. _Where did they come from?_ He wondered as he watched Silver's antiques. He noticed the rest were also looking at him and cheering madly.

"INCREASE AGILITY! ANGELUS! BLESS!" chanted Tranquil as Silver avoided the sandmen. Brandishing his bone wand, he yelled, "With the anger of the Sun, METEOR STORM!" CRASH! BOOM! Balls of huge meteorite fire came crashing down onto the monsters. Howling with rage, Pheeroni casted heaven drive on Silver. Instantly, the huge spikes on earth began to rise from the ground. Dodging and twisting, Silver managed to avoid most of them, until a spike caught him unawares and hit his left leg hard. Groaning, he stumbled onto the ground.

"Silver!" cried Tranquil anxiously. Gaining its strength, Pheeroni was about to charge Silver when it suddenly stopped. Surprised, Silver looked at it. It was twisting around furiously and its grotesque face was one picture of fury. He looked at Mika gratefully, "Thanks Mika." Mika merely shrugged and grinned at him. "All right gang! Let's show this MVP a thing or two about manners!" she cried to the rest.

Tranquil was soon by his side and began to heal him. Soon, Silver was back on his feet and ready to kill once more. "Hey, Sil. Take it easy now, ok? I just healed you!" Tranquil scolded him gently. He looked at her sheepishly but was determined to continue his fight.

During that time, Mika and her group was having some fun with Pheeroni, though with not so good results. "DOUBLE STRAFE! ARROW SHOWER! BLITZ BEAT!" yelled Mika as she rained the beast with numerous arrows. In front of her, Sakura kept on screaming, "MAGNUM BREAK! BOWLING BASH!" as she brandished her 6 Zweihander at it. Meanwhile, Variante was having fun splashing it with Venom Dust while casting Grim Tooth on it. As for Black, he stood by cowering awhile, trying to gain his courage to face the monster he summoned out.

"Hey, guys! Save some for me!" cried Silver as he joined in. Grinning madly, he said, "Ah, my little beauty. I have just the spell for you." And with that, he casts Soul Strike before casting Napalm Beat on it. Now writhing in agony, the massive beast was slowly dying. "Hey, guys! Now's our chance! Let's get 'em!" cried Sakura eagerly.

Renewed by a burst of sudden energy, the group once more resumed their non-stop attack on Pheeroni until finally, it was left alone as a dead corpse. Mika sunk on the ground, exhausted. "Phew! That was a pretty tiring exercise! Hey Sakura, next time, never provoke Black to do something stupid again," she grinned. Sheepishly, Sakura merely glanced at Black before nodding her head. Black scowled at the two of them before storming into the inn.

Silver looked surprised. "What was that all about? And how did Pheeroni entered this city?" he queried. Now it was Variante's turn to grin broadly, "Long story mate! But let's just say Black was a little to restless to be left in a city so err...dull." Everyone burst laughing once more, exhausted or otherwise.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, Mika! Are we there yet?" Silver moaned. "My feet are killing me!"

"We aren't even halfway there," came the reply.

Groaning, he dragged his feet along, slowing down the journey. Frustrated, Mika turned around and scolded him soundly. Sulking, Silver walked faster and ignored her. _Oh, honestly! He acts like a big baby at times!_ Mika thought exasperatedly.

"Hey, Mika! Where are we now?" asked Variante. He was beginning to feel tired and he could see that the girls were exhausted as well. Well, at least Tranquil and Sakura was, but who could blame them, Sakura was wearing a chainmail after all and Tranquil is burdened with her priestess' clothes, which isn't exactly as light as a feather.

Mika seemed to realize the same situation and glanced at the sky. It was turning dark. She consulted her map once more and pursed her lips. "Hmm, we're somewhere near the Ant Hell entrance. I think we could camp out here without being harassed by any aggressive monsters," she said. "Yay! We rest at last!" cheered Tranquil happily.

They quickly set up camp and the guys went off to hunt down a few pecopecos to be roasted. Silver, still sulking, went off alone to kill a few some birds. Mika started the fire and Tranquil made the stew while waiting for the meat. Sakura, on the other hand, simply lay down onto the ground, too exhausted to move. Indeed, her uniform was like carrying a large rock all the time. It was _so_ heavy!

"Dinner's here!" Black sang as he appeared from nowhere. Variante came right behind him as they had brought along three dead pecopecos among them. Her eyes gleaming, Tranquil instructed them to clean it and hack in into small pieces. Meanwhile, Mika looked around her and asked, "Where's Silver?"

"Ah, he probably went off to cry like a big baby," Black said offhandedly. He was more interested in getting his tummy filled rather than worrying about that pesky wizard. Mika pursed her lips and continued to look around her. Suddenly she spied Tranquil looking dreamily at something. "Tranquil? What are you looking at?" She asked tentatively, not wanting to startle her.

Tranquil opened her mouth as if to speak, but a voice so alien from hers spoke from within, "Silver, Earth, and Fire. Together united will bring us down. Darkness, Fear and Sorrow. I summon thee and destroy them all!"

Mika shivered as she heard this. There was something creepy about what and how Tranquil prophesized. She noticed the others were also looking rather pale and assumed that they had heard her too. Gingerly, she touched Tranquil. "Umm, Tran? Are you okay?" she asked again softly. With a start, Tranquil snapped out from her reverie. She looked rather confused.

"Mika? Is that you? What happened? Is the stew ready?" she asked serenely, unaware of what just happened just now. Mika bit her lip and tried to stay calm. "Umm, nothing happened. I think you need a rest now, Tran. You look rather tired. We'll wake you up when dinner's done," she said gently. Tranquil merely nodded her head tiredly and soon fell asleep.

The rest looked at each other, pondering about the spookiness that had just happened. "I wonder what did she mean by Silver, Earth and Fire will bring us down?" Sakura asked uneasily. Mika shook her head, trying to dispel the sense of fear trickling behind her back.

Variante paused. "Hey, doesn't anyone think Silver has been away for a long time? Do you think anything is happening to him," he asked quietly. They looked at each other once more. "I think we should find him, but..." Sakura's voice trailed off, glancing anxiously at Tranquil's sleeping figure. He understood what she was trying to say: if they organize a search party for Silver, who's going to take care of Tranquil?

Black took off his angel helm and scratched his head. "So now what?" he asked. Mika stood up. "I'll go and find Silver. The rest of you guard Tranquil," she said determinedly. Variante looked at her. "I'm coming with you," he said firmly. Mika glanced at Variante and nodded her head. She picked up her arbalest and reloaded her storage with arrows. "Let's go!" she said.


	5. Chapter 5

Meanwhile, where _was _Silver? He had wandered about, grumbling to himself while killing some pecopecos and condors. He wasn't sure where he was heading but he didn't really care. Poor Silver, he was such in a foul mood!

_Kill them, KILL THEM! Don't leave any witness!_

Silver started. There it goes again. That voice. He peered about him, trying to find out where did it come from, but all he could see was darkness. Suddenly, he felt a deep sense of foreboding, almost as if he knew something bad was about to happen. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself and focus on his instincts.

_Destroy him! Don't let him get away! He'll bring us all down!_

Silver opened his eyes and looked around again. "Who's there?" he called out strongly, "Show yourself!" He walked cautiously and tried to retrace his steps back to the camp. Every now and then, he looked behind just in case. _What in the name of Rune Midgard is going on here?_ He wondered.

Suddenly, something swooped from above and headed towards Silver. He barely ducked in time. "What the..." he started. It had doubled back and made a second attack. "SOUL STRIKE!" he yelled, pointing his wand at it. The creature shrieked and fell. "SIGHT!" he chanted, curious to know what was attacking him. Immediately, a flaming ball of light began circling around him. He stepped closer to the creature and realized that it was a falcon.

"You KILLED my falcon!" someone shrieked from behind. Startled, he whirled around, only to find himself face to face with a hunter. "Eh?" he said stupidly, feeling rather dazed. The hunter ignored him awhile and tended to his poor creature.

"I'm sorry, but it attacked me first. It was so dark that I couldn't see what was it," Silver apologized, regaining his composure. The hunter merely glared at him and heals his falcon's wounds. Silver stood awkwardly by his side, unsure of what to do next. "Is it okay? The falcon, I mean," he asked timidly.

The hunter finally looked up at him and said coldly, "Yes, no thanks to you." Miffed, Silver retorted, "Hey, it's not my fault your falcon had to suddenly swoop down and attack me. In the dark too!" Unconsciously, he gripped his wand on one hand and the other fingering his necklace. Suddenly, the hunter looked startled and looked at him closely. Unnerved, Silver backed away, "Hey, what are you looking at?"

"The necklace," the hunter whispered as he sank deep in his thoughts. _Huh?_ Silver thought confusedly, _the necklace? Is he talking about mine? _He looked down at his worn necklace, which was given to him when he was young. It was the only key to his past life that he didn't know. "Do you recognize my necklace?" he asked. Snapping out from his thoughts, he asked, "Where did you get that necklace?"

"I had it since birth. It's the only thing I have from my past," Silver replied, feeling curious about the stranger. _He looks familiar, but where have I seen him before?_ He wondered.

"I...see," the hunter said slowly. "Do you know who gave it to you?" he asked again. Silver merely shook his head and continued to stare curiously at him. The hunter nodded and said simply, "I do."

Startled, Silver cried out, "You do? So you know my past? You know who I am? And you know my parents?" The hunter smiled at him, lighting up his face and said, "Whoa there, one at a time! I'll answer your questions soon enough, but let's head back to my camp. It's, like you just said, dark here and there's no telling what is there out here." He invited Silver to his camp and gave him a glass of water.


	6. Chapter 6

He began his story, "Well, firstly, I am Destiny, Destiny ClearSky. And you are SilverBane, am I right? Right, I'm no good at storytelling, so I'll try to tell you about your past the best I can. Your father's name was DarkFate and you mom is called Azuria. Now, both your mom and dad were actually enemies since long before. They were taught by their elders to fight each other with no mercy. You see, your father was the son of Thantos, a powerful dark wizard in my time. Many feared him for he is cruel and thoughtless. At birth, Thantos had trained his son so ruthlessly that Dark soon became as cold and impassive as his father. He too, showed no mercy to both his enemies and allies. Now, on the other side of Thantos' kingdom, a group of rebellions were working hard to bring him down, for they could not bear any longer his tortures and sufferings. Therefore, they had decided to train _their_ own warrior rebels to prepare for war. Now, among these warrior trainees was your mom, Azuria. She was the daughter of the head rebel, PurpleRain. Together with other warriors, she trained hard, determined to fulfill her father's dream of liberty, and mastered her skills perfectly. Oh yes, I had forgotten to tell you about their jobs, haven't I? My, my, age is certainly catching up on me now. Your father was an extremely powerful wizard, and your mom a beautiful rouge."

"Now one day, Thantos had discovered about these rebels and was _furious_. He summoned his son and ordered him to kill all of these rebels by stating this cruel action was his test of loyalty and bravery. Obviously, Dark did as he was told. He soon slain many warriors easily, for he had inherited his father's prowess and skills. When your mother heard about the killings, she became furious and went searching for Dark single-handedly, against her father's wishes. Oh, yes, their first fight. It was not a pretty sight, I could tell you that. I was there at that time, for I had seen your mother slipping past the guards and I followed her, fearing for her safety. Well, when Azuria saw Dark, she accused him of slander and murder, in which he did not deny. Enraged by his impassiveness, Azuria soon began his attack and Dark smoothly countered it. The fight went on for ages, and yet, I didn't rush out to help Azuria. I guess, somehow in my heart, I knew that she would not forgive me if I did help her. Your mother was the most stubborn rogue I have had ever met. And I know she wants to fight her own fights without aid. Well, back to my story, your parents were soon exhausted. They both fell onto the ground at the same time and lay there for some time. Still, I stood my ground, watching. Something inside of me kept me from rushing out to your mother."

"As they regained their energy, both had grudgingly admitted each other's strength and bravery. They agreed on not fighting for the time being for they were, after all, positively drained. Slowly, tentatively, they began to understand each other and meet up in secret. They were unaware that their feelings for each other had begun to blossom from it. Your father soon ceased in becoming cold and impassive, for your mother was like the sunshine to him. Yet he did not realize it, though most unfortunately, his father did. Enraged with his son, he ordered his guards to banish him in the dungeon and searched for your mother with vengeance. Even so, unbeknown to Lord Thantos however, your mother and father had conspired a plan to elope. They knew that this war would never end and they might not be able to be together. Somehow, they knew that their time together was coming to an end for they both knew that Thantos would never rest until he finishes Azuria off."

"Now when your father was sent into the dungeon, he had managed to escape unseen with the help of his trusted servant. Instead of Dark going into the dungeon, somehow his servant had managed to fool everyone else and disguised as your father. Dark and Azuria had already promised to meet up at the very first place they had met. They would have succeeded if..." Destiny's voice trailed off as he stared at something behind Silver's back. Suddenly, he shoved Silver aside and reached for his bow.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ethereal, attack!" he shouted. Alarmed, Silver whirled behind and found himself staring at the most horrendous face he had ever seen in his lifetime. Well, he _could_ have seen it if it wasn't covered with foul-smelling bandages. It was Osiris and his trusty sidekicks, Isis'. Silver gasped but automatically reached for his wand.

"BLITZ BEAT! BLITZ BEAT! BLITZ BEAT!" Destiny screamed again and again, while raining the monster with Silver Arrows. Without wasting further time, Silver raised his wand and chanted, "By the power of heaven and sky, grant me the forces of blue flame, JUPITEL THUNDER!" The Isis' cried in pain as they drew their last breath. Meanwhile, Osiris became even more incensed and increased his attack on them. Silver noticed that Destiny was weakening and he quickly tried to finish the monster off. "SOUL STRIKE! LORD OF VERMILLION! JUPITEL THUNDER!" he shouted again and again. He was growing exhausted when he heard someone shouting from behind, "With the might of a million axes, HAMMER FALL!"

Shrieking, Osiris slumped onto the ground, finally defeated by the last blow. Amazed, Silver turned around, only to find himself staring at a beautiful blacksmith.

"Who are you?" Silver asked before adding hurriedly, "Oh, thank you by the way! You had just came in time. I wasn't sure if I could hold on much lo..." Startled, he fell back as she ignored him and rushed towards Destiny. It was only then that Silver realized that the hunter was seriously wounded. Rushing by his side, he knew that Destiny would not last much longer; Osiris had made a bloodbath out of his blood. Apparently, the dying hunter realized it as well. He clasped the mysterious lady's hand and looked at Silver.

"My dear daughter, I don't think I can hold on much longer. Promise me that you will take care of SilverBane just as you had taken care of me," he gasped painfully. Silver started momentarily and looked at the blacksmith. _His...daughter?_ He wondered. She looked old enough to be his wife. She glanced at Silver before focusing on her father once more. "I promise, father. Don't you worry about it," she said quietly. Destiny smiled slightly but painfully and said, "At last, I had fulfilled my promise to a long time friend. May the winds of Fate bring Silver, Earth and Fire once more." And with that, he closed his eyes and breathed for the last time.

Gently, the blacksmith placed her father onto the ground and watched him. Slowly, in front of their eyes, Destiny's frozen body faded away into sakura petals, which rose gently into the gentle breeze. Astounded, Silver looked at his companion and found her crying gently. Alarmed, Silver went by her side and said quietly, "I'm sorry." She looked up and stared at his face, her face shining with tears. Silver felt something tugging inside him as he stared at her lovely face.

"It's not your fault. I believe my father now rests in peace since he had finally found you," she said just as quietly, smiling faintly at him. Silver just stared at her. "Your father had been searching for me? Why? Do _you_ know who I really am? My past?" he asked confusedly but urgently. Startled, she looked at him and said slowly, "You...don't remember?" He shook his head. Suddenly, he heard a twig cracking from behind, whirling around and on guard; he nearly dropped his wand with surprise when he saw who it was. "You!" he exclaimed.


	8. Chapter 8

Cursing at his carelessness, he saw Silver whirling around, prepared to fight. Just as he wanted to step forward, Silver exclaimed something and walked past his hiding place and grabbed someone from behind the tree. Amazed, Variante stayed where he was. He exchanged puzzled looks with Mika. Who was that? There was a scuffle and Silver dragged out a young male rogue.

"Let _me_ go!" he struggled as he tried to free himself from Silver's unyielding grasp. Silver ignored him and continued dragging him towards the campsite. Watching the whole scenario in silence, Mika decided to step forward before anything else is to happen. Motioning her mate to do the same, she stepped forward and said, "There you are! We were searching all over for you!"

Silver whirled around with surprise, his wand ready to strike. Seeing that it was only Mika and Variante, he relaxed his grip on his wand and waved at them, saying, "Hey, Mika! Sorry for leaving camp till now. Did I break anymore rules?" Mika rolled her eyes and looked at Variante. He was looking strangely at the young blacksmith beside Silver. "Variante, remember your manners! It's not nice to stare like that," she admonished. Tearing his eyes away from her, he looked at Mika sheepishly.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to stare, but you look somewhat familiar to me...Have we met?" he asked the young blacksmith politely. She looked at him closely and shook her head, "Sorry, no. I don't think so."

Meantime, Silver was cross-examining the rogue rapidly. "What were you doing, sneaking up on us?" he demanded. The rogue kept silent and stared beyond the woods, refusing to make any eye contact. Once again, Variante felt as if he knew that rogue. _What is going on here? It's like I know everyone present here even though I haven't seen him or her before,_ he wondered.

Suddenly, he felt rather faint and sat down abruptly. The others didn't notice this as they were to busy firing questions to the silent rogue. _Ooh, my head..._ he moaned silently, as the world around him was beginning to spin and swirl. Before he knew what was happening, he fell into a deep faint...

_"Leo, LEO! Wake up!"_

_Variante rubbed his eyes sleepily and started with surprise. _Where am I?_ He wondered, looking around him. It seemed to him that he was in a room filled with toys. "Eh, what am I doing here? And _what_ am I wearing?" he exclaimed to himself as he realized he was wearing an odd-looking costume. "Hmm, it looks almost as if...I'm a novice again," he said disbelievingly._

_"LEO! For the last time, WAKE UP!" came a voice from outside as someone hammered onto his door. Variante jumped out from bed almost immediately at the sound of that voice. "Who in the name of King Midgard is that?" he muttered angrily as he rubbed his ears. That voice was deafening. Slowly, he walked towards the door and opened it._

_"Finally! I thought you were going to sleep for the whole day! Come on, you still have your chores to do. Spit spot, hurry up!" exclaimed an irate middle-aged lady. Variante looked around him, feeling even more bewildered. It looked as though he was in some sort of old-fashioned inn. "Huh? What..."he began. Impatiently, she began to push him towards a room, which turned out to be a kitchen. "Now, I want you to clear up the dishes. And this time, make sure it's clean!" she said menacingly. To surprised to speak, he just nodded as he stared at the array of dishes in front of him. _I need to clean those up? I'll be dead long before I'm done!_ He grumbled silently. The stacked up dirty dishes was piled up like a huge mountain in front of him._

But, why am I here? Who am I? Why was that lady calling me Leo?_ He wondered. He could hear her screaming away nearby and decided to start work. He didn't feel like abusing his ears once more. Working as fast as possible, Variante took a pile of dishes and place them into a large basin filled with soapy water. Unfortunately, he stepped onto a slippery patch and slipped. _Uh-oh!_ He thought in alarm as he fell onto the floor and watched the dishes dancing in the air. As he tried catching them, he knocked his head hard onto the floor and lost consciousness..._


	9. Chapter 9

Cursing at his carelessness, he saw Silver whirling around, prepared to fight. Just as he wanted to step forward, Silver exclaimed something and walked past his hiding place and grabbed someone from behind the tree. Amazed, Variante stayed where he was. He exchanged puzzled looks with Mika. Who was that? There was a scuffle and Silver dragged out a young male rogue.

"Let _me_ go!" he struggled as he tried to free himself from Silver's unyielding grasp. Silver ignored him and continued dragging him towards the campsite. Watching the whole scenario in silence, Mika decided to step forward before anything else is to happen. Motioning her mate to do the same, she stepped forward and said, "There you are! We were searching all over for you!"

Silver whirled around with surprise, his wand ready to strike. Seeing that it was only Mika and Variante, he relaxed his grip on his wand and waved at them, saying, "Hey, Mika! Sorry for leaving camp till now. Did I break anymore rules?" Mika rolled her eyes and looked at Variante. He was looking strangely at the young blacksmith beside Silver. "Variante, remember your manners! It's not nice to stare like that," she admonished. Tearing his eyes away from her, he looked at Mika sheepishly.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to stare, but you look somewhat familiar to me...Have we met?" he asked the young blacksmith politely. She looked at him closely and shook her head, "Sorry, no. I don't think so."

Meantime, Silver was cross-examining the rogue rapidly. "What were you doing, sneaking up on us?" he demanded. The rogue kept silent and stared beyond the woods, refusing to make any eye contact. Once again, Variante felt as if he knew that rogue. _What is going on here? It's like I know everyone present here even though I haven't seen him or her before,_ he wondered.

Suddenly, he felt rather faint and sat down abruptly. The others didn't notice this as they were to busy firing questions to the silent rogue. _Ooh, my head..._ he moaned silently, as the world around him was beginning to spin and swirl. Before he knew what was happening, he fell into a deep faint...

_"Leo, LEO! Wake up!"_

_Variante rubbed his eyes sleepily and started with surprise. _Where am I?_ He wondered, looking around him. It seemed to him that he was in a room filled with toys. "Eh, what am I doing here? And _what_ am I wearing?" he exclaimed to himself as he realized he was wearing an odd-looking costume. "Hmm, it looks almost as if...I'm a novice again," he said disbelievingly._

_"LEO! For the last time, WAKE UP!" came a voice from outside as someone hammered onto his door. Variante jumped out from bed almost immediately at the sound of that voice. "Who in the name of King Midgard is that?" he muttered angrily as he rubbed his ears. That voice was deafening. Slowly, he walked towards the door and opened it._

_"Finally! I thought you were going to sleep for the whole day! Come on, you still have your chores to do. Spit spot, hurry up!" exclaimed an irate middle-aged lady. Variante looked around him, feeling even more bewildered. It looked as though he was in some sort of old-fashioned inn. "Huh? What..."he began. Impatiently, she began to push him towards a room, which turned out to be a kitchen. "Now, I want you to clear up the dishes. And this time, make sure it's clean!" she said menacingly. To surprised to speak, he just nodded as he stared at the array of dishes in front of him. _I need to clean those up? I'll be dead long before I'm done!_ He grumbled silently. The stacked up dirty dishes was piled up like a huge mountain in front of him._

But, why am I here? Who am I? Why was that lady calling me Leo?_ He wondered. He could hear her screaming away nearby and decided to start work. He didn't feel like abusing his ears once more. Working as fast as possible, Variante took a pile of dishes and place them into a large basin filled with soapy water. Unfortunately, he stepped onto a slippery patch and slipped. _Uh-oh!_ He thought in alarm as he fell onto the floor and watched the dishes dancing in the air. As he tried catching them, he knocked his head hard onto the floor and lost consciousness..._


	10. Chapter 10

"Variante, Variante!"

"He's coming through! Give him some air!"

Groggily, Variante sat up and looked around him. "Where am I? What happened?" he asked, feeling dazed and confused. Mika looked at him anxiously for a while and said, "You passed out for about half an hour since just now." Variante sat up, startled. "I did?" he exclaimed. Then he suddenly remembered the silent rogue. "Hey, what happened to him?" he motioned towards the rogue, which incidentally, was lying down on the floor, unconscious.

Silver looked at him and scowled. "Oh, him. He wouldn't talk but instead decided he had nothing to lose by leaving his body behind." He looked at the dead body with distaste. Shocked, Variante looked at Silver and then to Mika, mouth agape. Wha..." he started.

Suddenly, the blacksmith stepped forward, startling everyone, for she had been silent all the time that no one noticed she was there. "Quick! We have to get out from here! There might be more that's coming," she said urgently. Silver and Mika looked at one another and nodded grimly. "Come on, let's go back to our camp!" Mika beckoned.

Hurriedly, they packed their equipments and headed out. Suddenly, Silver stopped. "Wait! Does anyone know the way back to camp?" he asked doubtfully. Sighing, Mika said, "Yes, Silver. I left a trail behind when Variante and I searched for you." Breathing a sigh of relief, they all headed towards the trail. It seems like Mika had left a little notch on each tree she had passed.

"It's too dark, and our torches are burning low," complained Variante. Glancing back, Silver realized that he was right. "SIGHT!" he chanted. Immediately, their path was brightened by the orange glow emitted from the fireballs surrounding Silver. The rest shrank away, afraid of getting burnt. "Hey, relax! They won't hurt you at all," he said cheerfully as he demonstrated by poking the orange flame. Slowly, they came closer and continued their journey.


	11. Chapter 11

Sakura peered into the darkness anxiously. "They're late. Do you think anything happened to them?" she asked anxiously to Black, who was guarding Tranquil while she was asleep. He shrugged and replied, "I don't know, but you know we can't leave this camp." But he too looked around, hoping to spot them.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps behind them. Whirling around, Sakura cried, "Mika! You're back at l..." Her voice died out in shock. It wasn't their friends at all. Instead, there was a pack of howling wolves surrounding them. It was Vagabond and his trusty pack of Wolves.

Black quickly spring up and stood by Sakura's side. "Quick! Form a barrier around Tranquil," he said, eyeing the beast uneasily. As they edged closer towards the sleeping priestess, one of the Wolves decided to have its meal now. "MAGNUM BREAK!" Sakura cried, killing the stray wolf almost instantly. Bad move. Angered, Vagabond howled once more and signaled the pack to attack. "Uh-oh..." Black muttered. "HAMMER FALL!" he cried, and killed a few wolves at a time.

"What's going on?" murmured a sleepy voice. Tranquil had woken up due to the noise! "Tranquil, stay low!" Sakura cried, as she fended off some wolves with her 6 Zweihander. Startled, Tranquil looked up, only to find herself face to face with the beast, Vagabond. Too surprised and shocked to scream, she merely stood there gaping. Black, worrying for her safety, immediately rushed by her side, only to stop in surprise. Instead of attacking, Vagabond stopped growling and actually..._whined_. Even more surprising was that it allowed Tranquil to _pet_ it.

"Tranquil, what are you doing?" he asked softly, fearing the Vagabond might injure her if it was startled. She looked at him in wonder. "Black, I know this wolf. I don't know why, but I do know this wolf!" she said in wonderment, glancing at the quiet Vagabond. Even Sakura stopped fighting and gaped at the strange sight. "Eh, this is the first time I've seen such behavior," she said.

Once more, Tranquil looked at the beast and knelt down beside it. "You're trying to tell me something, aren't you? What is it? Do you recognize me?" she asked softly. Vagabond whined and edged closer, before setting off towards the dark. "Hey, wait!" she cried, and pursued it. "Tranquil!" Black and Sakura cried simultaneously and rushed to her side.

Ignoring the rest, Vagabond continued to run, stopping only to make sure that they were still following. "He wants to show us something. I know it!" Tranquil panted as she tried to keep up. Black and Sakura exchanged worried glances. Variante and Mika were still missing, and they are leaving camp. Will it lead to disaster?

Suddenly, Vagabond stopped on its tracks and lifted its mighty head, sniffing the air. Panting, the others stopped too and slumped onto the barren ground, tongues lolling. "Wh-what is it, Vagabond? Did you find something?" panted Tranquil. It growled and bared its fangs in return. Something was moving swiftly around them. Startled, they formed a tight circle and prepared to fight the swift shadow.


	12. Chapter 12

"Who's there? Show yourself!" called out Black bravely. He tightened his grip onto his weapon.

"Black? Is that you?" a voice called out. Lowering his weapon, Black gaped in astonishment. "Mi-Mika?" he stammered disbelievingly. There was a sound of movements among the rustling bushes and Mika appeared with Silver, followed closely by Variante, and a lovely blacksmith.

"Silver!" cried Tranquil as she rushed by his side. Hugging her, he frowned at the rest. "Why aren't you in camp?" he asked Black. Glancing sheepishly at Mika then Silver, he nodded towards Tranquil, who was now by Vagabond's side.

"Vagabond?" Silver looked startled. Something inside him stirred. _Hmm, why is it that I have a feeling I've met that beast before?_ He wondered.

"Yes, he is familiar, isn't he?"

As if reading his thoughts, the young blacksmith spoke softly by his side. Silver stared at her with utmost surprise. Once again, he felt as if she knew more about his past than he does. "How did you know that? And what is this weird connection I feel with it?" he queried thoughtfully.

She smiled. "You might not believe this, but that creature is your pet."

Silver gazed at her in astonishment. "B-But, no one has ever captured a MVP as a pet before," he said slowly. She nodded and smiled once more, "That is one of the reason why you couldn't remember your past."

Silver threw a glance at the silent Vagabond. He felt as if he knew it for so long. Slowly, he moved closer towards it. "Something happened back then. It was...a fight. I'm not sure between who or what, but it rescued me from beneath the rubbles. I was the only sole survivor of that fight, or so I had thought. Someone came and helped me escape, along with Vagabond," he said slowly, as he recalled haltingly of his sketchy past.

Mika looked at him anxiously, fearing the worst. "Silver, are you sure you're okay?" _What is it with today? Everyone seems to be in a trance now and then,_ she wondered. She watched in amazement as Silver went towards the MVP calmly and stroked it, even more amazed to see it whining and licking his hand. She noticed the rest were gaping too.

She turned back and faced the young blacksmith. "Hey, I've just realized that we don't know who you are or what is your name! Where _are_ my manners?" she chided herself before introducing the others and herself.

The young blacksmith smiled and said, "Nice to meet you all. My name is Jewel ClearSky. I'm a traveler, just like you, in search for something and also to complete a quest bestowed upon me by my late father. It seems as if one of my quest is done." She glanced at Silver, smiling slightly.

Feeling slightly bemused, Mika asked, "Silver is one of your quest?" Nodding, Jewel replied, "Before my dad died, he told me once that Silver held the key to everything. He wouldn't tell me what was it, and I'm determined to find out about it. And now that I've found him, the next step would be to fill him in about his past, which is such a chore, considering his past had been..._colorful_."

Chuckling, Variante butted in, "Silver? A colorful past? This I got to hear." The rest chuckled along with him. Silver looked up, confused. "What?" he asked crossly as the rest redoubled their laughter at his expression.


	13. Chapter 13

But Tranquil didn't look up. She had a dreamy look on her face again. Noticing this, Sakura nudged Mika and glanced at Tranquil. "Tranquil? Is something wrong?" Black asked softly. "Not again," Variante groaned quietly. Silver stared at the weird procession curiously. Then he gazed at Tranquil. She seemed fine, if you ignore the fact that she was stroking Vagabond absentmindedly and staring into deep space.

"The first step is done, there isn't much time. Arm in arm, neck to neck. The Silver had found, the rest are yet to come," intoned Tranquil the same strange voice. Silver gaped. What the heck was happening? Gently, he touched Tranquil by her shoulder. "Tranquil?" he said softly.

During this time, Jewel stared at Tranquil, the color draining out from her face. "The prophetess..." she whispered softly to herself.

Snapping out from her daze, Tranquil looked around and cried out with surprise and indignantly, "What are all of you looking at?"

"Umm..." said Mika, unable to tell her.

"Well..." continued Variante, still gaping.

"It was the prophetess."

Everyone swirled and focused on Jewel, who was still looking pale.

"What..." gasped Black.

Looking from one face to the other, Jewel said as calmly as possible, "It was the prophetess speaking."

Scratching his head, Black asked, "Prophetess? What's that?" He looked at the others, and they shrugged in return, puzzled.

"The prophetess. She was once the most powerful witch in Thantos' kingdom. She was the one that had help the rebels brought the cruel Lord Thantos down. You ought to know, Silver. She was the one that helped your mother when in need," she continued.

Everyone gasped collectively and looked at Silver. Silver felt his blood draining away from his face. "The prophetess..." he said slowly, as he tried to remember.

"_Prophetess, I'm not sure if I can hold on much longer. Please, help me take care of my son if I'm gone," pleaded a beautiful, raven-haired rogue to a silent figure in front of her._

_Silently, the Prophetess took the infant from her. "Very well. Rest in peace, my dear girl," she said gently to the rogue. The raven-haired rogue gripped her hand gratefully and kissed her son goodbye, before heading towards the door._

"_Alas, that will be the last of Azuria, my daughter," the Prophetess said softly, tears trickling upon her face as she gazed into her grandson's peaceful face, SilverBane. _

"Silver? Silver!"

Silver jumped, his reverie snapped. He looked around confusedly, his mind whirling. Unnoticed, tears had fallen from his eyes. "The prophetess, she was my grandmother..." he whispered softly. He looked slowly at his friends' amazed faces.


	14. Chapter 14

Jewel touched his shoulder gently. "So you do remember now, don't you? Your mother had begged the Prophetess to save you, against all odds. It's ironic, really. Your grandmother had refused to acknowledge Azuria when she had discovered about your parents, but saved you all the same."

Silver sat down on the ground with a bump, unable to believe it. "Jewel, could you please tell me about my past? There's too many things I don't know and knowing them bit by bit all of a sudden is well, _overwhelming_," Silver said. She was quiet for a while. Finally, she nodded her head and motioned all of them to sit.

"Hey, wait! Let's all go back to the camp first, shall we? It's kind of scary out here, considering there had been so many going-on around here," exclaimed Sakura, looking furtively around. The rest nodded and set back to camp.

"It all started, as I suspect Silver already know, when Dark met Azuria. They had met and fallen in love, unfortunately, during the dark times. Lord Thantos, who was also Dark's father, was the cruelest Lord if there ever was any throughout the kingdom. And Azuria was the daughter of the head rebel, PurpleRain. Both were taught and trained intensely to fight against each other, in which they did, and you might not be surprised to hear that both your parents are the strongest and smartest among their people," began Jewel smiling. She looked at Silver and then to the rest. They looked amazed.

She continued, "Well, the fights went on for ages, until one day Lord Thantos made a grave mistake in his life. He ordered his son to annihilate the rebels as a test of loyalty. Dark did as he was told, and it was then when he met Azuria. Oh, how they had fought, from sunset to sunrise, until at last, they could not fight any longer. Both were strong and cunning in their ways, and there was no way they could outwit each other. It was then when they became grudging friends, which ended up as lovers."

"When Lord Thantos had discovered about their affair, he was furious. He sent his son straight to the deepest and darkest dungeon, which proved to everyone how unmerciful he could be, even to his own son. But I have a feeling that deep down inside, he was afraid that if his son and Azuria were to combine their attack, they might just bring him down. Well, Lord Thantos did not waste much time and issued an order to assassinate Azuria. Luckily though, no one could even harm a hair from her head. Unbeknown to everyone, Azuria and Dark had secretly trained their skills together, and Azuria had already known Lord Thantos' army's skills and weaknesses. It didn't take Lord Thantos long to discover so, and he nearly went mad with rage. He went to the dungeon, delirious with anger at his traitorous son, only to discover that Dark had escaped."

"You see, in the midst of confusion when Dark was thrown into dungeon, his servant, Lackey, loyal as ever, had switched places with his master. Therefore it wasn't Dark at all in the dungeon, nor was he the one dying due to torture. Lackey had cleverly made sure that no one was to see his face properly, and because the dungeon was dark, no one noticed. Well, Dark immediately slipped out from the castle and went back to the spot where he had first met Azuria. They eloped, and soon had a child, namely you, Silver."


	15. Chapter 15

"Now, Lord Thantos wasn't the only one full of anger. PurpleRain, Azuria's father, was also furious when he had discovered that his daughter was with his enemy's son. He confronted her about it, and had demanded her to sever all ties she had with Dark. Of course, Azuria rebelled, though in her heart, she was saddened. She loved her father so but she loved Dark as well. Quite beside himself with grief that his only daughter not only ignores his orders, but rebelled, he disowned her almost at once."

"Quietly, they stole away into the inky night, hoping to flee before anyone notices anything amiss. Most unfortunately, Lord Thantos, determined to eliminate Dark and Azuria, had ordered his best army to kill them. It was then when the prophetess suddenly appeared and guided the newlywed couple to safety. Back then, Azuria hadn't known that the prophetess was her mother, and I don't think she ever did. You see, PurpleRain and her had gone separate ways after Azuria was born; he wanted to carry on with his dream to free the kingdom from Lord Thantos, and she had other quests she had to fulfill."

"Well, when Lord Thantos' army finally managed to trace the couple, the fighting began all too soon. Azuria, fearing for her son's safety, begged the prophetess to safe keep her son before racing towards the raging battle to help her husband. I never did know what happened on that day, as I wasn't there. Rumours were that both Dark and Azuria were killed on that day, and their heads were presented to Lord Thantos as proof of their deaths, but some say that they are still alive, living in a world that no one knows," finished Jewel solemnly, looking from one face to the other.

Everyone looked at each other. Mika felt her eyes pricking with tears. Tranquil looked at Silver, whom had turned white. Variante and Black looked at each other before glancing at Silver compassionately. Sakura looked at Jewel agape, as if trying to say something. Finally, she managed to say, "You mean to say that Silver was the child of DarkFate and Azuria? Oh, my god!"

Now everyone focused his or her attention at Sakura. "What? What do you know?" demanded Silver

Looking from one person to the other, she said hesitatingly, "Well, I don't know much about it, but my father had once told me about the same tale as Jewel did just now. It's not much to hear, since mostly it was just the same as Jewel's tale. The only thing is, my father had made me swear to pass this on to Dark and Azuria's child as soon as I've found him. Unfortunately, I never did know his name, since my father passed away before he managed to tell me anything else. But now, since you _are_ the spoken couple's child, I guess I can finally fulfill my father's promise."

With that, she took out something from her bag and handed it to Silver. Wonderingly, Silver looked at it. It was a necklace; almost similar to the one he was wearing. The only difference was that this necklace was inscribed with something in gold. "_Fortica Alleigh Azuria Caluria Dark_" he murmured softly, fingering the necklace with wonder. It stirred memories, which were locked behind the bars in his mind.


	16. Chapter 16

"_Azuria. Come here and try on your new necklace."_

_"Oh, Fate! It's lovely!"_

_Azuria _(Silver finally saw who she really was, and thinks how lovely his mother was)_ fingered a necklace Dark _(Again, Silver saw his dad too. Rather mysterious-looking in his opinion)_ made for her with pleasure. It was made out of pure silver, with words inscribed on the back of the moon-shaped pendant twirling about on the silvery necklace. "Fortica Alleigh Azuria Caluria Dark," she murmured wonderingly and looked at her newlywed spouse in wonder._

_Smiling indulgently, Dark wrapped his arms around her and translated it softly, "Together Forever Azuria And Dark." Eyes shining with unshed tears; Azuria hugged Dark tightly, but broke up their embrace as she heard their son crying. _

_Picking up their much-loved son, Silver, Azuria hugged him tightly as Dark wrapped another necklace; almost similar to the one he had given Azuria around his neck. "This is for you, my son. You may not know it yet, but this necklace will help you during troubled times," he said lovingly to the infant. "One day, when you grow up, you will be one of the most powerful wizard there ever was. And you will use those powers for good, and not for evil. Remember that well," he kissed Silver's forehead softly as the tiny infant went back to its slumber._

_Poking Dark's ribs playfully, Azuria retorted, "Hey, how come our son's to be a wizard and not a rogue?" Chuckling, he swept Azuria off her feet, baby and all, and said in mock arrogance, "That's because he has to follow his father's footsteps. And besides, he already has your looks." He looked at her impishly. Laughing now, Azuria surrendered and demanded her husband to put her down. She walked to the cradle and placed Silver into the cradle gently, twirling the starry mobile above him. "Sleep well, Silver," she said softly..._

"Silver? _Silver_!"

Silver started and looked around confusedly. "Where am I?" he asked groggily as he tried to sit up. He felt someone trying to shove something into his mouth. Startled, he looked up and realized that Tranquil was trying to get him eat something that looked like...meat. "Mglhmm?" he mumbled as she tried to stuff his face.

Laughing in relief, Tranquil teased, "Hey sleepyhead, you've been lying there for ages! I don't know if you know it, but I think your stomach is rather angry with you." Then, as if taking cue, his stomach growled and rumbled like crashing thunder. Everyone laughed. Sheepishly, Silver looked at Tranquil and nodded his thanks before wolfing down the remaining meat himself.

After filling his tummy, he now could concentrate on another matter: his not so satiated curiosity. Again, he looked around. He had just realized that they were now in their camp. _Ah, who carried me back here?_ He thought amusedly.

There was utter silence for a while. Everyone looked at each other uneasily, wondering what to say. Finally, Jewel spoke up, "I think we all had enough excitement for one day. Let's take a break, shall we? And tomorrow, I need to go to Geffen for some matters. There's someone I need to meet."

Nodding their heads, they all went back to their camp beds and soon dozed off. Silver gazed at the stars above him. _Who am I? Why does everyone freak out when they see me? When will I ever know the truth?_ With those muses, he soon fell into a deep slumber, his questions unanswered.


	17. Chapter 17

"Hurry up, Tranquil! You're lagging behind!"

Puffing and panting, Tranquil soon caught up with the rest. "Sorry. I couldn't help buying those cutesy stuffs anyway," she apologized while trying to regain her breath.

Groaning, Variante turned to Silver and said, "Next time, Silver, please make sure that our little friend here doesn't spend all of her zennies just like that."

Grinning, Silver shrugged and shot back, "Who said anything about her spending her zennies? Those are mine, man!" He playfully punched Variante on his back. Now grinning broadly, Variante catcalled at him, "Woo-hoo! Looks like someone's into our little friend here!"

Bursting into laughter, the rest began teasing the both of them till Tranquil turned beetroot red. "Ah, cut it out you all!" she said, her cheeks still red.

Silver chimed in, "Yeah, cut it out man! What's so wrong about giving some zennies to Trannie to spend on? I rarely do myself anyway." Sakura looked at him appraisingly, "Hmm, if so, Silver, care to donate some of your millions to me?" She looked at him impishly.

Shrugging, unsure if she meant it as a joke or not, he took out his bag of zennies and handed her 500k. Gaping, Sakura looked taken aback. "Hey, I only meant it as a joke!" she said. Again, Silver shrugged and replied, "Told you I rarely spend myself anyway. Besides, I still have...about 500million here."

That did the trick. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at him with shock. "Wow, Silver! I never knew you had so much with you," said Black in astonishment. Now embarrassed, Silver said, "Hey, will you guys cut it out already? Stop staring at me!"

Jewel smiled softly. "Well, Silver. Looks like you and I could have a little fight over the zennies. Mine's reaching 580million soon," she said. Now everyone turned their heads and stared at her. Silver grinned.

"Hey, I had more than that actually. Just bought a few hundreds of dead branches a few days ago, which took up about 50million," he shot back playfully. Mika shook her head in shock. "Whoa there. Somehow I get the feeling that all of us can't even compete with the both of you with our zennies combined!" she said teasingly.

"Well, it looks like we now know who will be our supplier of zennies: Jewel and Silver," Sakura said teasingly.

Laughing heartily now, they continued their journey towards Geffen. _(They were in Prontera at the moment)_


	18. Chapter 18

"Finally! We're here!" Black grumbled, "Meet you guys back at the inn. I need to unload some of my junks here. My cart's getting really heavy." With that, Black was gone in a flash.

"Hey, I think I better go and do the same. Besides, I need to meet a certain friend of mine here," added Jewel as she went off towards the other direction.

Variante, Sakura, Mika, Tranquil and Silver continued their journey to the inn. Variante kept on groaning at Tranquil and Sakura as they kept on stopping by at every shop to inspect their goods. "Come on, you two! It'll be nightfall by the time you're done!" he complained.

Tranquil glared at him, "Go on then! Sakura and I will be just fine here if you don't want to wait," she said. Sakura nodded in agreement as she inspected a merchant's goods minutely.

Shrugging, Variante went off by himself, followed closely by Mika and Silver. Mika yawned, "Man, I hope it isn't far. I'm exhausted!"

Suddenly, Silver turned around in surprise. There was a commotion behind them. "Hey, what's going on?" he exclaimed in surprise. The others, upon hearing him, turned and gaped at the weird sight. A young novice was trying to fight a fully-grown crusader all by himself.

"We'd better check it out. It smells like trouble's brewing," Variante said grimly. Nodding their heads, they sidestepped and headed towards the scenario.


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey! Give it back to me! You know that it's mine!" cried the young novice indignantly. Laughing, the crusader held up the knife he was holding and dangled it temptingly in front of the young novice.

"So what are you going to do about it? Hit me?" he jeered as he kicked the young novice squarely at his stomache. "Oof!" grunted the injured novice.

Enraged, Mika stepped out and cried, "Hey, stop that you big bully!" Turning around with surprise, the crusader began to laugh as soon as he saw who was it.

"Yeah? And what are you going to do about it?" he said tauntingly. Silver noticed that the crowd was silent, almost as if they were scared of the bully. Whispering to a merchant beside him, he found out that the crusader was one if the king's knights in Prontera. Which was exactly why no one dared to stand up against him. _Hmm...looks like I'll just have to pay King Midgard a little visit,_ he thought grimly.

Meanwhile, Mika had launched a full verbal attack with the annoying crusader. Stepping forward now, Silver commanded, "That's enough!"

Startled, the both of them ceased their fight and stared at him. Silver walked purposefully to the crusader. "I believe you owe this young novice his equipment," he said pointedly. Sneering, the crusader said, "Oh yeah? What makes you say that? I believe that this knife is mine, and not his!"

Smiling slightly, Silver replied, "I see. Are you trying to imply that as a crusader, you actually fight with just a simple knife? My goodness, where is your sense of honour?" He asked innocently. Mika and Variante burst out laughing. That nailed the bully. Reddening, he stepped forward and said threateningly, "Why you little..."

Silver merely stood his ground. "Don't even try to fight with me unless you wish to have me sending you to your deathbed," he warned, with an uncanny glint in his eye. The crusader stopped, obviously intimidated with his threat. Shrugging, he tossed the knife away and went off, yelling threats all the way.

The crowd cheered as he went away. Gratefully, the young novice picked up his weapon and stammered his thanks to Silver. Smiling, Silver just said, "No problem."

"Hey, we better get going! It looks like a storm's heading this way," called Variante.

"Right! Coming!" replied Mika and Silver simultaneously. They turned and started to head towards the direction of the inn. Mika waved goodbye at the novice.

Silver, noticing this, said mischievously, "Hmm, looks like this huntress is smitten." Reddening, Mika ignored him and walked past him quickly. Laughing, Silver raced her and reached the inn first.


	20. Chapter 20

"Hey, remember how Black had unleashed his err..._horror_ here?" Variante said teasingly, giving the ebony-haired blacksmith a sidelong glance.

"Hey, cut it out!" Black groaned, looking apprehensively at Jewel.

Jewel merely smiled at him knowingly, almost as though she knew what had happened before. Suddenly, Silver asked, "Hey, Jewel. Did you find your friend yet?"

Looking at him, she nodded quietly and said, "I'm meeting him tonight. Care to join me, everyone?"

Looking up, Tranquil glanced at Silver. Mika exchanged looks with Variante. And Sakura, she chirped out, "Yeah! Anywhere but staying cooped up here!"

"Ah, Sakura's too easy to please! Just dump her in a playpen nearby and she'll go hyperactive on us," teased Variante. Scowling at him, Sakura stuck out her tongue.

Sensing a fight, Mika hurriedly cut in, "Well, why don't we make a move now? Let's kill time outside."

Nodding his head, Silver began to adjust his muffler but stopped suddenly as he remembered something. "Hey, Mika. What happened to Vagabond back then? I had forgotten all about him," he said suddenly. Surprised, Mika looked at him, her hands still busy arranging her moon pin. "Why, it had followed us here. Didn't you know?" As Silver shook his head, she continued, "Well then, look into your bag and see. I believe it became an egg once more."

Rummaging through his bag, Silver was amazed to find that it was true. Caressing it gently, Silver murmured, "You saved my life once, and I'll never forget that." Putting it back gently into his bag, he impulsively grabbed a pet incubator and dumped it in too just in case.

"Hey look, guys! That young novice is in trouble...again," said Variante, as he looked out of the window. Glancing down, they saw that the novice was again bullied by a bunch of blacksmiths this time. Sighing, Silver said, "When will they ever stop picking on novices I wonder. Come on, let's go and help him again."

Picking up his wand, he went down, followed by the rest of them. "You guys know him?" Tranquil asked Variante in surprise. Nodding his head, he explained to the others about the young man's trouble previously.

When they reached the scene, a crowd was beginning to form out. Even from afar, they could hear the novice's cries, "Stop picking on me! I didn't steal anything!" Suddenly, Variante frowned and stepped forward. "Let him go, Slay! Enough with your dirty tricks already," he commanded. The others looked at him in surprise. Ignoring them, Variante walked purposefully towards the platinum-haired blacksmith. Sneering, 'Slay' said tauntingly, "Well, well, well. Variante. Long time no meet. What do you do now? Picking up stones like you're doing now?" His group laughed at his lame joke.

Tranquil said disgustedly, "At least his IQ isn't pathetic as yours." Slay heard that and looked at Tranquil appraisingly. "Hey, Variante..." he said slowly, "I think you've just gotten yourself a _girlfriend_." Cracking up, they laughed again, the novice temporarily forgotten.

Enraged, Mika started to step forward, determined to give the obnoxious blacksmith a piece of her mind, but Jewel stopped her. Stepping forward herself, she said softly, "That's enough." She didn't shout these words, nor did she yell. She merely said it slowly, but it worked. Both Slay and Variante stopped their quarrel.


	21. Chapter 21

Ignoring Variante awhile, Jewel went up to Slay and said, "Slay, behave yourself. You know you shouldn't bully novices in the first place. Nor should you be rude to my friends." To Variante's utmost surprise, Slay actually reddened and mumbled an apology to Jewel. He could see that the rest were as clueless as him at what was going on.

Now facing them, Jewel introduced the platinum-haired blacksmith. "Guys, I would like all of you to meet my younger brother, Slayer ClearSky." Astounded, Variante felt his jaw drop. _Brother?_ He thought wildly.

Gaping herself, Silver suddenly noticed that the crowd hasn't dispersed themselves yet. Butting in, he said, "Umm, I hate to break up this little chit chat here, but can we please discuss about this elsewhere? We're attracting a crowd here."

Starting, Slayer glanced at Silver briefly before looking questioningly at his sister. Smiling and nodding her head, she said, "Okay, Silver. We'll head back inside."

As they began to move, Mika suddenly remembered the forgotten novice. "Yeah, hey! Are you alright?" she called out to him. The young novice was looking pretty miserable at being picked on so many times. Glancing at Mika, he smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks," he called out. Something stirred inside Mika as she watched the young novice sidle past.

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up later," she called out to Tranquil as she dashed to the novice. She noticed that he was snuffling as he trudged along. Coming closer to him, she said gently, "Hey, do you need any help?"

Startled, he looked up at her with his tearstained face. "No, it's okay. I don't want to trouble anyone," he said. Smiling gently, she replied, "Yeah, but it looks like you're only troubling you. Come on, let's go and have a drink first."

Unwillingly, the novice followed her to a nearby inn. Mika ordered a couple glasses of wine and shooed him into a seat nearby. "Now, what seems to be the problem?" she asked as soon as they were seated. "Ah, before that, let me introduce myself. Really, my manners are getting from bad to worse!" she chided herself, not giving him any chance to answer her former question, "My name's Mika Ravenwolf. Just call me Mika."


	22. Chapter 22

Looking at her, he said formally, "My name is Clay, Clay Verdant." Nodding her head, Mika asked once more, "Well, Clay, what seems to be the problem?" She took a sip of her drink.

Clay shook his head and replied, "Nothing, really." He toyed his drink for a while, sitting there in silence. Mika looked at him shrewdly. "You sure? You don't exactly look like a person feeling on top of the world today," she said solemnly.

Clay stared at Mika momentarily before cracking a tiny smile. "There, at least you smiled at last!" she said laughingly. Something about Mika's infectious laugh broke the silence and tension within Clay.

"Well, actually..." he hesitated before continuing, "I'm searching for something valuable to me. My father had given it to me before he died and I am supposed to find out to whom it belongs. Most unfortunately, it was stolen by some king's knights here and I don't know how am I to get it back." He looked at his glass sadly.

Mika looked at him sympathetically. "Hey, don't you worry about it! We'll find a way to get it somehow," she said. Clay looked at her and shook his head, "No, I don't want anyone to get into trouble because of me."

Smiling broadly, she said, "My dear boy, no one gets me into trouble; trouble usually gets me first." Laughing, she pulled him up and continued, "Now come on, we'll go to the inn and we'll think of a way to your problem together. Besides, I want to hear Jewel's tale about Silver." Eyes twinkling, she dragged him away from his drink.


	23. Chapter 23

Back at the inn, Variante was still at a shock at Jewel's revelation. "You're...brother?" he gasped.

Slayer looked at him scornfully. "What's the matter? Can't believe that I actually have a sister? Or the fact that Jewel's my sister amazes you," he taunted.

Jewel glanced sternly at Slayer and said, "Enough, Slay. Be polite to my friends."

Slay subsided. Sakura butted in, "Uh, Jewel? Is this the 'friend' you were supposed to meet?" She glanced at the silent but sulky blacksmith.

Jewel nodded and replied, "Actually, Slay is here for the same reason as I am. We are assigned to accompany Silver on his perilous journey to Lord Thantos and finish what his parents' quest. Which brings us to this point," she glanced at Silver momentarily before continuing, "This journey will prove to be a dangerous one. And Lord Thantos is sure to send out his powerful warriors to annihilate Silver. You've already seen a few of his assaults, and those are the mildest. Now, I would just be frank to all of you. Would you or would you not wish to follow us in our journey?"

She looked from one face to the other solemnly. Tranquil sneaked a glance at the wizard before replying quietly, "I'm coming along."

Black said instantly, "Hey, I'm not going to ditch a friend in need either! I'm coming along too." Variante and Sakura chorused their agreement. Silver looked at his friends' faces with wonder. He was touched by their loyalty and bravery.

"Thank you, all of you," he said quietly.

Someone knocked at the door and Sakura got up to open it. "Surprise, surprise! I'm back!" Mika's voice rang cheerfully as she peeked her grinning face inside.

"Mika! Where have you been?" Variante cried out in surprise. He was even more surprised to see the young novice beside her.

"Ooh, Mika! Gotten yourself a _boyfriend _now have you?" Tranquil said impishly before cackling with laughter at the novice's mollified face.

Smiling, Mika retorted, "Cut it out Tranquil! You're making him redder than the sunset outside."

"Guys, I would like you to meet Clay Verdant. Clay's in a spot of trouble and I thought we could lend him a hand," she continued, smiling.

Sakura pretended to be immersed in her thoughts. "Hmm, to help or not to help," she said jokingly. Silver cut in, "Hey, come one! No more suspense please! I think we've had just about enough of it for one day anyway."

Variante looked at Sakura and then at Silver before shaking his head. "When will the two of you actually grow up," he muttered before continuing in a louder voice, "Sure, count me in! I'll lend a hand anytime."

Beaming at him, Mika looked at the rest questioningly. Raising his hands in defeat, Black exclaimed, "Alright! I'll do it." Tranquil nodded her agreement, smiling at the shy novice.

Slay and Jewel looked at each other before nodding their agreement as well. "Sakura? Silver?" Mika asked them. Groaning, Sakura replied, "As if we have a choice! If I say no, you guys will kill me!"

"You can count on that Sakkie!" Black said cheerfully. Everyone laughed. Finally, Silver nodded his head and said, "Alright, I'm in as well." Sakura chorused her agreement.

"Now what are we waiting for? Let's get down to business!" Slay exclaimed.

Mika beamed. Clay smiled gratefully.

"Clay, why don't you explain it all," Mika said encouragingly while settling down on a chair nearby.

Hesitatingly, Clay started his story, "Well, it all started when..."


	24. Chapter 24

"Hey, are you sure you wanna go on?" Sakura asked nervously, glancing at the solemn guards parked outside the entrance of the palace.

"Funny question you should ask, actually. We _are_ here, aren't we?" Mika commented.

Reddening, Sakura kept quiet and looked ahead. Silver smiled at their antiques. _Some things will never change,_ he thought. Glancing behind, he realized that there were too many of them to enter at one shot. The guards might get suspicious and he hated to cause any annoying scenes.

"Hey, let me see the king first, okay? I'll tell him about Clay's troubles. Besides, I need to speak to him privately for awhile," Silver said, halting the party.

Surprised, Slay exclaimed, "What? And let you have all the fun alone?" Jewel glared at him and he subsided. Variante looked at Slay amusedly. _He really is afraid of his sister,_ he thought.

After glancing at the rest, Mika said, "Alright, Silver. We'll wait outside. Just holler if anything goes wrong, okay?"

Grinning at her, Silver replied, "Like I need any. Besides, there are too many annoying guards to actually have some fun!" With that, he went into the palace.


	25. Chapter 25

"Your highness, SilverBane is here to see you."

Frowning thoughfully, King Midgard waved the page away before stating, "Bring him in then."

_Hmm, it's been quite some time since I've heard from Silver. I wonder what's the problem now?_ He thought wonderingly.

He didn't have much time to think as the intricately patterned doors opened to invite Silver in. Leaning back against his throne, King Midgard said, "Well, Silver. To what do I owe you the pleasure this time?"

Bowing down, Silver replied, "Don't worry, Your Highness. It has nothing to do with the _item_. I'm here regarding some troublesome business that involves your knights as well as my friends."

Frowning, King Midgard stroked his snow-white beard and said, "My knights? What did they do?"

Again, Silver bowed before replying, "Well, Your Highness. It seems that the Midgard knights have been pulling their weight about in the city. They've been notoriously bullying young and naïve novices as well as causing trouble in the bazaar street."

"What!" exclaimed King Midgard.

Nodding his head, Silver continued, "I can be witness to this report. I was at one of the scenes when one of your knights was found bullying a young novice at the bazaar street. Of course, being as who I am, I couldn't help but getting involved in the scenario." He finished his sentence with a twinkle in his eye.

Frowning even harder, King Midgard said, "I cannot believe this! This is an outrage! Silver, I need you to identify which knight did this. I cannot have any disrespect towards the people of this city!"

"I have no problem to that, Your Highness, but I feel you should question the people here if you wish to understand more of this problem. After all, I just arrived here a few days ago. And regarding the novice-bullying problem, I have a victim outside, too afraid to do anything," Silver said formally, looking at the king directly at the eye for the first time.

Nodding his head, King Midgard said, "Very well, then. Call in the young novice, and I'll call in all of my knights. We will settle this problem at once!"

Bowing once more, Silver nodded and headed outside.


	26. Chapter 26

Mika paced nervously. She kept looking back at the door, as if Silver would suddenly pop out.

"Mika, for goodness sake! Stop pacing about. You're making me dizzy, not to mention nervous," Variante said at last.

Sheepishly, she looked at him and said, "Sorry, can't help it. It's in my genes to panic and so on."

Grinning, Sakura said mischievously, "Oh, Mika's just worried about her _boyfriend_, eh, Mika?"

Glaring at her, Mika exclaimed, "Hey, no funny stuff okay? Silver's just my friend. Besides, what's taking him so long? He should be here by now." She looked worriedly once more at the entrance before looking back at Sakura, who was currently laughing while making puppy-dog faces at her.

"So what's all the fuss about? I'm here already, aren't I?" A voice spoke out from behind her. Startled, Mika swirled around, only stopping in time as her elbows nearly punched the lights out of the startled wizard.

"Oops! Sorry Silver! You shouldn't have startled me like that," apologized Mika anxiously. Silver merely grunted as he regained his composure.

"Wow Mika, you should have become a monk instead of a huntress," chuckled Black. The rest laughed with him.

Mika sent him a withering look as she helped Silver up. Silver waved her off impatiently. "Clay, I need you to follow me. King Midgard wants to see you now," he stated as he brushed his dusty cloak.

Taken aback, Clay stuttered, "M-me?"

"Duh! Of course you! You were the one that was bullied by those lousy knight, weren't you?" Silver said impatiently as he tugged the novice's arm and headed towards the entrance once more.

"The rest of you will have to wait here. I'm not so sure if His Royal Highness is really that gracious," he called back as he pushed Clay out of sight.

"Great, more waiting!" groaned Variante.


	27. Chapter 27

"Erm, Silver?"

"Yeah? What's the matter?"

"Why did the king summon for me?" Clay asked nervously as he stepped closer to the wizard.

Silver shrugged and replied, "We'll find out soon. We're already here." Stepping into the dazzling room, he bowed in front of the king and motioned Clay to do the same.

"Well, Your Highness, here is Clay as you wished," he said, his head still bent down. King Midgard looked at the young novice appraisingly. "Very well," he said and motioned his servant to call his knights forward before continuing, "Well, my good man. Can you please do me a favor and tell me which knight is the rotten apple here? I know you might at least know a few, considering I have heard a few rumors myself about this problem. Too bad no one has ever been brave enough to step forward and tell me so."

Clay looked at the king in astonishment before glancing at Silver. The silver-haired wizard smiled encouragingly. He then looked at the row of knights. The knights glanced at each other uncomfortably, their pose still erect. "Umm, this knight," he motioned to the knight nearest to the king with a slight tremble, "used to bully me nearly everyday by taking what I have, until Silver stopped him the other day."

King Midgard nodded encouragingly while giving the errant knight a frowning glance. "And this one here had stolen my heirloom given to me by my dad on the day of his death," Clay continued as he pointed towards a lavender-haired knight, whom looked most uncomfortable at the accusation.

Again, the king nodded as motioned Clay to continue. Pretty soon, all of the rotten apples were picked out and the king dismissed the remaining knights. He looked pretty much disgusted at the result. There were practically more than half of them that proved to be dishonest and cowardly.

Silver bowed again. "You Highness, we have already done what is to be done. Do you wish our presence here still?" he asked, hiding a grin. He knew that the king would still need his help, but he simply enjoy word playing with him.

The king did not smile, however. He was too disgusted with his bully knights. "Stay, the both of you," he said curtly before continuing, "Derek, I demand you to return the stolen items to this young man at once and leave this castle." Derek gasped dismally, but not daring to object, he muttered, "Yes, Your Highness."

What would happen to Derek no one knew, for Clay, feeling sorry for him, stepped up and said boldly, "Your Highness, I wish not to cause any havoc in this city. If Your Highness permits, I wish to suggest that this knight, erm, Derek, is to merely be suspended from his duty for a certain period of time."

Startled, everyone but Silver stared at him. The king stroked his snowy beard and said, "Hmm, you have a point there, young Clay. Very well then, I shall not banish all of you from this castle. Instead, you are relieved from your duties for two months and in the meanwhile, you are to begin new duties: Helping the citizens in _their_ duties. Perhaps that will teach you of hard work and honesty." No choice left, the knights bowed and muttered, "Yes, Your Highness."

Turning to Derek, who was bowing as well, he said, "As for you Derek, you are to accompany Silver and his wandering party in their journey and protect them at any cost. I trust Silver and I am sure he will see that any dishonesty will be punished, am I right, Silver?" He looked at Silver, who looked amused at the order. Bowing, Silver said, "Quite right, Your Majesty." He sneaked a look at the lavender-haired knight and nearly burst out laughing. Derek's face was just about enough to turn milk sour.

"Very well, if there is nothing else, you are all dismissed," stated King Midgard.


	28. Chapter 28

"Argh, I can't take this any longer! Where the heck are they?" Mika exclaimed anxiously.

Sakura nodded, "Can't say I don't agree with you this time, Mik. All this waiting is sooooo boring!"

Variante looked up and shook his head. _Women! Never an ounce of patience in them_, he thought scornfully as he fiddled with his jur. He looked at Black and was amused at the expression flitting his face. Maybe the rest were oblivious, but Black was looking at Jewel with intense adoration stamped all over his face. _Hmm, looks like we're about to have a wedding soon?_ He thought amusedly as he continued playing with his weapon.

He started when he heard a faint sound behind him. He turned around and found himself staring at a pretty rogue. Startled, he jumped up and exclaimed, "Wha-"

Surprised, the rest turned to see what was going on and stared at the rogue in astonishment. It was obvious what she was trying to do: stealing.

"Hey, what are you trying to do?" Variante exclaimed, staring at the pretty rogue. Blushing, she stood up and apologized, "Sorry about that, I thought you were someone else." They stared at her. "But that doesn't give you the right to sneak up behind us like that," Mika said.

The rogue nodded and apologized again before explaining, "So sorry, I really thought he was someone I once knew. You see, I was just trying to get back something that was rightfully mine. The person I was talking about had taken it when I was young and I have been tracking everywhere to find him."

Unknown to them, Silver and Clay had already stepped out from the palace gates and were surprised to see their party in a heated discussion. "Hi, guys. What's up?" Silver asked cheerfully, stepping in into their conversation. Surprised silences followed before Tranquil broke it with a squeal of delight. "Silver! You're finally back!" She raced towards him and gave him a big hug.

Laughing, Silver swirled Tranquil around, obviously delighted with the welcome he had gotten. "Oh, brother! Give me a break," muttered Variante, as he watched the lovey-dovey act. The rogue stared at Silver with a gaping mouth. "Hey, wait a minute..." she whispered to herself.

Mika cleared her throat, "Ahem, Silver? When you're done..." Silver stopped twirling the delighted priestess and smiled sheepishly at her. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away," he said before noticing the fair rogue. "Uh, who's that?" he asked curiously, not rudely.

Sakura stared at the person in question, "That's what we all want to know." They gazed at the rogue questioningly. As if snapping out from her trance, the rogue looked at them and apologized, "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Serenia, Serenia Waters. And you are SilverBane, aren't you?" She pointed tentatively towards Silver. Slowly, everyone stared at Silver. The wizard in return stared blankly at Serenia. "You know me?" he asked.

Smiling softly, she stood up and embraced Silver. "Oh, you have no idea how long I've been searching for you!" she exclaimed. The rest were shocked. Mika stole a quick look at Tranquil to see if she's okay. The priestess' face was ashen as she stared at the embracing couple. "Silver...?" she whispered softly.

Silver stared at her unseeingly before looking back at the woman in his arms. He pushed her back and mumbled unsteadily, "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Surprised flashed in her eyes. "You mean, you don't remember?" she said. Shaking his head, Silver backed slowly until he was beside Tranquil and hugged her protectively.

Serenia's eyes caught that movement and closed her eyes momentarily. When she opened them, a single tear escaped as she said softly, "I am your fiancé, your lover, your best friend, SilverBane."

"What?" Sakura, Mika, and Variante exclaimed. They stared at her in shock. Jewel stepped in calmly, "Serenia, I understand that you might be in a lot of pain, but I suggest that we should take this discussion some other time. Silver has already been under a lot of pressure and I don't think it would be wise to press him on. Why don't we call it a day and talk some other time?"

Variante looked at her, marveling her words. _She sure does know how to pour oil into troubled waters_, he thought. He looked at the rogue, who bit her lip and nodded slowly. "Very well, we shall talk another day. How about tomorrow in the inn? I shall meet you all during lunch," she said, fighting back her distress. With that, she turned around and went off without another word.

Tranquil looked at Silver, her eyes shining brightly with tears. "Silver? Is this true? Is she really your..your...fiancé?" she asked shakily. Looking at her with trouble eyes, he kissed her forehead and said, "I don't know, Tran. I just don't know." He stared at the retreating figure broodingly.


	29. Chapter 29

Mika stared at the two, feeling troubled as well. Then, for the first time, she noticed a knight standing nearby, looking most uncomfortable watching the scene, with Clay standing beside him, his mouth agape. "Urm, Silver? Who's he?" she asked, jerking a finger towards Derek.

Looking at her, Silver said absently, "Oh, that's Derek. The king had given orders to him to follow us in our journey." Staring at him hard, Sakura exclaimed, "You gotta be kidding me! Him? With us?" Derek scowled at her. Silver wagged a finger at her. "Now, don't be mean. After all, he's here on orders," he admonished.

Black grinned. "Ah, Sakura's just bummed cause now she ain't the only knight in this party," he chuckled. Sakura turned red and glared at Black. "I haven't the slightest notion of what you are talking about," she said with dignity. But that only made the rest laugh, for her act wasn't convincing, but otherwise.

Chuckling, Variante turned towards the silent yet sulky knight. "Yo, man. Don't fret about it. We're delighted you could join us. At least maybe now we'll get some work done around here. Sakura's hopeless!" he said, grinning away. "Hey, I heard that!" cried out Sakura indignantly.

Derek looked at Variante and cracked a smile. "Thanks," he replied. Stepping forward, as everyone expected, Mika took charge and introduced everyone. "My, my, Mika! You will never change will you?" Variante said amusedly. The huntress merely grinned sheepishly.

Suddenly, Silver remembered something and faced Derek. "Hey, Derek! I nearly forgot. I should think it's about time you return something that isn't rightfully yours, don'cha think?" he said solemnly. Derek looked at Silver and sighed, "Oh, all right." He slipped his hand into his pocket and produced a piece of parchment. Grudgingly, he gave it to Clay and mumbled an apology.

"What is it?" Sakura asked curiously. But before he could deign a reply, Silver interrupted them. "Hey, can we meet you guys back at the inn? There's something we need to talk," he said, hugging Tranquil closer. The rest nodded their heads and watched the both of them go.

"Oh, I hope they'll be fine," Mika said worriedly. Variante said soothingly, "Don't worry your head about it. They'll be okay. Now, about this parchment, care to explain?" Clay ignored him for a few minutes, staring at the ragged paper he's clutching. Suddenly, Jewel's eyes widened and she nearly snatched the parchment from Clay. "Wha-" Clay started in surprise. The rest stared at Jewel curiously. It was so unlike her to react that way. "Sis? Is that..." whispered Slay. Now the stares were directed towards the platinum-haired blacksmith. "Um, Jewel? Slay? What's going on?" asked Black tentatively.

Jewel continued to stare at the parchment. Finally, she turned around and asked Clay quietly, "Where did you get this?" Clearly startled by her question, Clay blurted out, "From my father, why ask?" Turning back to the item she was holding, Jewel whispered softly, "Oh, my lord."

"What? What is it?" asked Variante impatiently. Now facing the rest, Jewel said quietly, "This, my friends, this is a part of what was left of Silver's past. This piece of parchment holds the key to answering both Azuria and Dark's dreams!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Silver and Tranquil had their own meeting elsewhere. "Silver? What are we to do now?" asked Tranquil, her lips quivering. Silver drew her close and hugged her tightly. He sighed. "I don't know, Tran. I really don't know. I didn't even know she existed until back then," he said, his face troubled.

Tranquil looked up at him. "What if everything said was true? Would you go back to her?" she asked. Silver tightened his hold and stared at her eyes unflinchingly. "No, somehow I doubt I would. I'm in love with you, Tran. You should know that by now," he said fiercely.

Something tugged inside Tranquil's heart when he said that. She snuggled into his comforting hug and said simply, "I do." Silver continued hugging her, embracing her warmth and soothing her at the same time. Finally, she relaxed and fell into a slumberous sleep. Silver sighed. He didn't expect things to get out of hand. _First lost memories, now a fiancé? What next?_ He thought moodily. He stared at Tranquil's peaceful face and felt his heartstrings being pulled not for the first time. _My lord, she's so beautiful! I shouldn't do this to her, making her feel anguished and all._ And so his thoughts went on and on. He stared unseeingly at the greens (They were outside Prontera city, just outside the Eastern gates).

_You have failed me, servant. Twice I have trusted you and none did you promise success._

Silver started. "That voice..." he whispered. It was cold and menacing. Yet somehow it sounded familiar to him.

_Very well, servant. I shall permit a single chance more. Annihilate them and you shall be rewarded. Fail, and your soul is mine._

Silver stared wildly around him. Who was that talking? He wondered is he was going mad. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were rolling by fast, almost as if commencing a race. Feeling rather alarmed, he quickly sweep Tranquil off her feet and carried her back inside the city, rushing straight for the inn.

Reviews...I want reviews... XP


	30. Chapter 30

"Care to explain that, Jewel?" asked Sakura sarcastically. They were still crowding around the blacksmith trying to figure out the markings on the parchment.

Mika frowned and looked up into the sky. She heard a faint rumble from afar and wondered what it was.

"Hey, the sky's turning black..." she commented, her voice trailing with surprise as the clouds continue to arise in a record time. Jewel looked at the sky as well. She frowned. "This is not good," she murmured, "Everyone, run as fast as you can back to the inn. Now!" Surprised at the command, the rest quickly scrambled up and raced as fast as they could towards the inn, spurred by Jewel's urgency.

"O-kay, we're here. What was the rush all about?" panted Mika. Jewel sat down and took her breath for a few minutes before replying, "Trouble."

The door behind them suddenly opened and slammed. Everyone turned and stared at Silver and the sleeping Tranquil in his arms. "Something's up. The sky's changing color at the speed of light," he said seriously.

"Tell us news, not history," muttered Variante darkly, massaging his worn feet. Mika peered outside anxiously. "Err, guys? We have a problem," she said nervously. Variante got up and went to see what she meant and felt his jaw dropping. Now curious, the rest clustered around the window to see what was happening.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Black in astonishment. There was an army of Khaltizburg, Baphomet Jr., and Nightmares gathering outside. Screams of horror and pain could be heard not far away. "What's going on? Where did these monsters come from?" asked Sakura in surprise.

Silver shook Tranquil gently. "Tran? Wake up, Tran. It looks like we might need your help more often than not now," he said softly. Slowly, Tranquil stirred and looked sleepily at Silver, "Huh?" She yawned and stretched, unaware of the tension among them. "What's going on?" she asked. Grimly, Mika explained.

"Come on, we need to give these people a hand," she commanded. Together, they rushed out, only to stop in surprise at the sight that had greeted them. "What's Doppelganger, Baphomet, and Blood Knight doing together? Better yet, what the heck is Dark Lord doing here? Has the dark world gone bonkers or something?" exclaimed Sakura filled with surprise. "No time to think about that, Sakura. Let's get 'em now!" Silver cried as he rushed towards the mob of Khalitzburg, waving his wand like a maniac. Stopping right in the middle of the mob, he raised his wand and chanted, "With the anger of Lord Sun, METEOR STORM!" Not waiting to see the result, he quickly cast another spell; "Let the blessings of the wind sweep you apart, JUPITEL THUNDER!" The Khalitzburgs howled with pain as the fell onto the ground and turned into dust.

"Come on, let's help Silver!" cried Mika, grabbing her own weapon. She rained her arrows onto the rampaging Nightmares, followed closely by Sakura, who was stabbing and slashing the beasts like anything. Meanwhile, Variante quickly cloaked himself and used Grimtooth onto the Khalitzburgs. "Tranquil! We need healing!" called Mika, as she fended off a few Nightmares from a weakened mage nearby.

Rushing by her side, Tranquil quickly healed the poor mage and led him to safety. "Tranquil, watch out!" shouted Variante as he demolished the Khalitzburgs. Startled, Tranquil turned around quickly, only to end up fainting onto the ground. "Tranquil!" cried Silver, abandoning the mob and rushed by her side. "SOUL STRIKE!" he chanted, abolishing the Nightmare that had sneaked behind his love and knocked her unconscious.

"Black! Come here and help me, will you?" shouted Variante, his face shining with perspiration. He kept on the train of his breakneck blows focused onto the Khalitzburgs, not missing a beat. But even his super speed can't help him now; he was outnumbered. Black raced towards his pal and quickly knocked down the Khalitzburgs that was sneaking up behind Variante. Quickly, he raised his defense and boosted his attack power. Soon, he was attacking the mob alongside with Variante.

"This is getting us nowhere," groaned Mika, "Where the heck are backups when we need them?" The rampaging beasts, it seems, had gotten stronger at each passing moment. "MAGNUM BREAK!" shouted Sakura as she dealt with the twilight horse-look-alikes. Suddenly they heard a scream and a crash from behind them.

"Jewel!" screamed Slay as he parried with a grotesque miniature goat-like demon. "Silver, is Tranquil up yet?" shouted Variante, now panting with exhaustion. Grimly, he continued his fight while waiting for the answer. Silver looked at Tranquil helplessly. Taking a flask of water from his bag, he quickly splashed the cool liquid on Tranquil's face. To his delight and relief, she stirred into consciousness. "Tranquil, wake up. We really need your help," he said, shaking her gently.

At last, Tranquil fully opened her eyes and stared at the scenario that greets her eye. Pushing Silver aside, she quickly ran towards Variante and Black, using her own defense skills on herself first to shield herself from attacks. She raised both her hands and placed them in a prayer-like motion. "HEAL!" she chanted, reviving them from their exhaustion, closing their open wounds. She then quickly casted her skills to boost their defense before racing towards Mika and Sakura, who although were still fighting the Nightmares, their attacks had somehow diminished. Just as before, she healed the huntress and knight before increasing their defense and attack speed.

"Tranquil! Over here!" called Slay anxiously, still in a sword-fight with the snarling 'goat'. She hurried by Jewel's side and healed her quickly. "Are you okay?" she asked Jewel anxiously. Nodding her head weakly, Jewel smiled and gestured her to the rest. "Go help them," she whispered.

"Oi, Silver! Where's that dumb knight of yours?" called Mika in exasperation. It was obvious that they could not win over the stampeding demons and monsters. Silver shrugged as he casted a huge circle of falling fireballs. It hit squarely on the Khalitzburgs, leaving them in ashes. As soon as the Khalitzburgs were gone, Silver rushed to Mika's aid while Variante and Black went to rescue Slay from the ugly demon.

The fight went on relentlessly. Everyone was soon showing strains of exhaustion. Silver casted his spells onto the Nightmares, refusing to give up. He dodged their attacks and attacked them in return. Out of the blue, he felt a shattering blow on his right shoulder and cried out in pain and surprise. He turned around and saw a face that looked almost exactly like him; only its face was contorted with evil and anger. "Tranquil, help!" he shouted feebly, fighting to keep his consciousness. Hearing his call, Tranquil ran and healed his as fast as she could, repeating the same routine she used on the rest.

Fully awake, Silver faced his double with doubt and suspicion etched on his face. It was the doppelganger, taking shape into his life form. He raised his wand and casted a quick spell onto it. To his shock, it dodged his spell at a breakneck speed. Undeterred, he casted a few spells onto the ghostlike visage. Just as before, the doppelganger dodged his attacks easily. _How do I defeat this creature?_ He thought desperately.

Meanwhile, Mika and Sakura were facing their own problems. The gruesome Blood Knight seems to have decided to pay them a little visit. "Uh-oh. This cannot be good," Mika muttered nervously. She tried to attack it but...

"_Miss_?" she uttered disbelievingly. Sakura rushed forward and tried to slice it but no avail. The vile creature was too fast for her. Uttering an oath, she tried again and again to attack it without any success. Incensed, she provoked it numerous times and called out to Mika, "Use your double strafe on it while I bash this abomination." Nodding her head, Mika began shooting her remaining arrows towards it as Sakura dashed forward and bash the creature. "Sakura, watch out!" cried Mika as a Nightmare galloped behind the knight and reared up high, its ethereal mane flowing about.

Shrieking, Sakura slashed blindly behind her before she was knocked unconscious. _Oh no...Not Sakura as well,_ groaned Mika silently as she battled her way towards her friend. Desperately, she looked around for help. "Tranquil, help me!" she called out at the spur of the moment. Too late. She watched in horror as the Baphomets purely pulverized her. "Tranquil!" she screamed. She heard hooves thundering behind her. The last thing in her mind was, _This is the end..._ She fell into a deep faint.


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Note: Sorry about the late updates. My pc was in the workshop for a few weeks due to the sad fact that my motherboard was burnt ( Anyway, hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it down Yeah, the story gets rather complicated from here and since I get frequent writer's blocks, slow updatessss…..

* * *

_The hooves of terror rampaged as screams of terror reached the haughty huntress. With eyes as cold as ice, sharp till foolish mortals shake and quiver at each gaze, she looked at the massacre left behind by the snorting, gory beasts. She smiled coldly in derision. "You gotta go better than this if you want to win," she murmured to herself mockingly, drawing two silver-tipped arrows onto her intricately-carved bow. Without hesitation, she released the quiver and anticipated the howl of anger and pain._

_She was not disappointed._

_Blinded with pain, the half-beast, half-demonlike horses thundered to the source of their anger, swinging and smashing their bloody sceptres at all costs, practically pulverising the carcasses like pancakes. Calmly, the arrogant huntress calculated the distance between them and readied herself._

_"You know, you can never beat me. So why bother trying?" she said mockingly to the nightmares as she rained silvery pinpricks onto them. She looked triumphiantly at the dying beasts and took her final blow. "Soon," she whispered, "Soon, you'll be just like everyone else. And I shall be the one that will rule all."

* * *

_

Mika awoke with a start. _Ooh, my head,_ she thought hazily, trying to blink away the stars from her vision. As her sight cleared, she looked at her surrounding confusedly. "Aren't I supposed to be dead by now?" she thought aloud.

"Actually, Mika, you're not dead. In fact, no one is. Or at least, no one that _we_ know of is."

Startled, the huntress whirled at the voice, only to moan with dizziness once more. "Ouch, that hurts," she grumbled, "Who said that?" She turned carefully and focused onto the shadowy figure. A wave of relief washed over her as she realised that it was the priestess.

"Tranquil! Oh, I'm glad you're okay! How is everyone?" exclaimed Mika.

Tranquil looked at Mika, smiling wearily, "They're all fine, actually. You sure took quite some time to wake up," she said mockingly.

Sensing bitterness in her voice, the injured huntress asked quietly, "Tranquil, what's wrong? Come here, baby. Talk to me." She stretched her arms wide and waited for the priestess to come. Silently, Tranquil allowed herself to be enveloped into the comforting hug.

Stroking her silky hair, Mika hummed softly and soothingly. She didn't say a word to break the silence, waiting for Tranquil to begin the conversation. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Tranquil said quietly,

"Thank you."

Smiling slightly, Mika continued stroking her hair and murmured, "No problem." Heaving a huge sigh that coursed through her body, Tranquil stood up and gave her 'patient' a half-smile, "You should rest, Mika. Save your energy. I'll tell the others that you're awake." With that, she closed the ancient, wooden door as softly as she could manage.

Mika stared at the closed barrier blankly. "Hmm, I was thinking about something right before Tranquil spoke to me, wasn't I?" she thought aloud once more, furrowing her brow with concentration as fragments of her dreams dangled tantalisingly in her mind.

_The huntress, the nightmares,_ she suddenly remembered. Frowning, she struggled to place a name onto the familiar face of the arrogant huntress in her dreams. So familiar and yet...

"Wait a minute," she whispered to herself, realization dawning on her face. That huntress! It was her! But how can it be?

Mika shivered as she recollected the haughty and arrogant features of the cold, impassive huntress. _Was that really me?_ she wondered. Mentally she shook herself. _Stop it! It's just a dream, nothing more to it,_ she scolded herself. Slowly, she drew the blankets up right to her chin and tried to sleep.

* * *

"So what do you think?"

Silver stared moodily at his so-called mind numbing spirits. He shrugged and replied morosely, "Like the hell I know. I don't even know anything about me till Jewel came into the picture. Now out of the blue surprises keep on popping out like those darned white flowers during spring."

Variante stared at him momentarily before focusing on his own drink. There was a momentary silence as the both of them drifted off in their thoughts. "Er, Silver? What are you going to do about that rogue? You know, the one that claimed to be your fiancé," he trailed off hesitantly as he spied the expression on his friend's face. "Nevermind, forget I even asked," he said hurriedly and took a huge gulp of his drink.

Silver sighed wearily. He opened his mouth to say something but shut up almost immediately as he spotted Tranquil heading towards them. Giving Variante a warning glance, as though to remind him not to say anything about their previous conversation, he stood up and hugged the pale priestess. It was like hugging a bolt of cloth, he realised worriedly. Releasing her, he gently motioned her to sit and ordered a glass of juice for her. He could see that Tranquil was taking the aftermaths of the war pretty seriously.

Sneaking a glance from his drink, Variante noticed her pale face almost instantly. He looked back and forth from Silver to Tranquil before pushing his chair away. "Umm, guys? I think I'd better check on Mika to see if she's awake yet," he said as he downed the remaining liquid in his glass. He noted amusedly that he might as well just talk to a wall. The two were in such an intense eye contact that they were oblivous to their surroundings. As he headed towards the door, his grin slipped away when he realised that the lovey-dovey couple has a few problems of their own, namely the rogue they had just met, Serenia Waters. Sighing to himself, he walked purposefully towards Mika's room.

Still oblivious to anything else but his love in front of him, Silver gazed deeply into her eyes and asked quietly, "Tranquil? Is anything the matter?"

Breaking her gaze away from him, she simply went closer to him and snuggled in his arms. "Just hold me, Sil," she mumbled as tears slid down, creating thin rivulets of tears upon her face. Hugging her closer, Silver kissed her lavender hair and whispered fiercely, "I promise I won't let anything happen to you, Tran. Never!" Tranquil raised her tearstained face and asked miserably, "But what about that rogue we saw, Serenia? She is, as she claimed to be, your fiance. What would happen if she really is..." Her voiced trailed off.

Hugging her close, Silver said gently, "Don't you worry your fair head about that, Tran. Whatever happens, I'll still be by your side, no matter what. As for that rogue, I'll just have to make her see that the past is not part of my life anymore. I can't love a person that I can't even remember she exists in my life." Tranquil pushed herself away from his arms and look at him sadly, "I can't do it, Sil. I can't bear to hurt anyone else aymore just because of me. I can't bear to think the sorrows I'll inflict on them if I selfishly chose what I want."

Silver gazed at her in agony and despair. "So what are you saying, Tran? That we shouldn't be together?" he queried shakily, unable to believe his ears. Tranquil looked away, and said quietly, "I don't know, Sil. I really don't know. I just don't want anyone to get hurt anymore. Maybe she does belong in your life and not me. Maybe I'm just a little something to help you on your way. I just don't know." She finally stared at him with unnatural calmness. Silver stared at her speechlessly, unable to utter a word. Tranquil got up and slowly headed towards the door, stopping just a few steps away to say quietly, "I'm so sorry, Sil."


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: Yupz. You got it. My pc's finally back so I'm officially back to my updates. Fast updates will most probably last till this week cause I'm off to school once more next week. So till then, enjoy! Oh yeah, and I had gotten rid of the 'annoying spell calls', as u ppl said. Hope you enjoy this review!_

"He…doesn't recognize me."

The stark loneliness and utter anguish in those four words rang clearly in the still atmosphere. Biting her lips hard and gazing into the still water, Serenia Waters gripped the dewy grass sprouting from the ground tightly as she struggled to recollect herself.

"I…will…not…_cry_," she mumbled to herself fiercely, fighting back her tears and swallowing forcefully at the huge lump that formed in her throat.

"Why, Silver? Why can't you remember? Why can't you fight it?" she moaned, as memories crowded in her brain. Memories of the past…

"_Eek!"_

"_Watch out!"_

_A newly fledged mage hurried along, summoning a few balls of psychic waves and targeted them onto the disgruntled willow. Surprised by the sudden attack, the crusty stump hardly managed to evade before the translucent orbs battered it. Shrieking in pain, it burst into pieces, as willows do when they're defeated. Picking up the items the wooden monster left behind, the mage stood up and gazed at the dazed thief._

"_You ok?" he asked, stretching out a hand to help her up._

_The raven-haired thief took his hand and stood up, wiping of the debris from her pants. "Yeah, thanks," she mumbled, feeling like an idiot. Smiling broadly, her savior said, "Not a problem. Need any help training?"_

_Looking at him for the first time, she suddenly realized how attractive looking the violet-eyed mage was. Surprised and a bit annoyed at the fact that she was blushing furiously, she nodded shyly. The mage split into a wider grin and extended a hand to her._

"_I'm SilverBane, a mage as you can see. Just call me Silver will do," he said._

_Picking up her cue, she shook his hand and replied, "Serenia Waters, a thief."_

"_Well Serenia Waters, shall we carry on?"_

_Smiling now, Serenia nodded and they went off together, helping each other as they trained their skills and strength._

* * *

"_Hey, Rene! A little help here!"_

_Rushing forward, Serenia stopped in surprise and started to laugh uncontrollably. They were at the Payon underground caves at the moment, having decided to train there out of boredom. Indeed, the caves were a treacherous place to be at, especially when one is alone. The monsters there are aggressive and brutal, not to mention that they attack in groups occasionally. But at the first level of these caves are considered quite okay, especially for those that had just passed their tests in their first jobs, namely mage, thief, archer, swordsman, and merchant. At the moment, both Serenia and Silver were combating with the undead zombies and evil-looking bats there, with the help of the many bottles of potions to heal them. The reason why Serenia was unable to hide her mirth was due to the fact that Silver was running away frantically at the mob of zombies and bats he had obviously angered._

"_Well? Hello, Rene! A little help here?" shouted Silver as he raced about aimlessly, dodging the attacks aimed towards him. Almost weak with laughter, Serenia ran towards the mob and began attacking them with full vigor. Enraged, they turned towards the grinning thief and tried whacking her. But being a thief as she is, Serenia was skilled at dodging attacks, especially slow ones, so she was barely touched by their snail attacks. _

"_Okay, Silver, you better start casting your namby-pamby spells now while I distract them," she called out cheerfully as she dodged a rotting hand that came sailing past her. Wrinkling her nose at the disgusting stench emitted, she quickly fended it off with another slash using her gauche. _

"_Hurry up, Sil!"_

"_Hold on, almost there…Okay, Rene! Move out of the way, _now_!"_

_In one neat move, Serenia evaded the clumsy attacks and ran to safety, looking back just in time to watch in fascination as the monsters were electrocuted to death by the mage's attack._

"_Nice one, Sil! Maybe next time you should try on smaller mobs first, instead of taking all of them at once," she suggested slyly, a grin escaping as she watched in growing mirth at the expression on her companion's face._

"_Ah, shut up Rene!"

* * *

_

"_I did it, Sil! I finally did it!"_

_Cries of happiness and triumph rang joyfully in the air as a lovely rogue raced past startled faces and into the arms of a silvery-haired wizard. Laughing in delight, Silver hugged her and twirled her about, ignoring the amazement and amusement of the others around them._

"_Congrats, Rene! You're finally a fully-fledged rogue, just as you dreamed of."_

_Smiling tremulously, Rene gazed at the violet orbs of her loved one and said, "I would never have done it without you, Sil." She gave him a tender kiss before detangling herself from his embrace, her cheeks red as a group of youngsters nearby hollered and catcalled at the lovey couple._

_Chuckling, Silver gave her a quick hug and suggested that they should have lunch. "After all, you did take up a whole day just to pass this test," he murmured, his eyes twinkling. Blushing, Serenia retorted, "Hey, I'm not the only one with the slowpoke act! _You_ took one whole day too when you went for your wizardry test, or didn't you remember?" Laughing, Silver raised both his hands in surrender._

"_Alright, alright. You win, dear. Now come one, let's go have lunch. I'm starved!"

* * *

_

Tears trickled unseeingly past her cheeks as the bittersweet memories continue to flow steadily in her mind…

"_Silver!"_

"_Serenia, get out from there!"_

_The alarmed rogue dodged a multitude attacks and ran for safety, looking back only once to check on her beloved. _He's doing fine,_ she thought, relieved. Facing forward once more, she dodged yet another blow from the dark swordsman and quickly hid herself amongst the shadows._

_Her heart beating fast, she recalled how they had gotten into this mess in the first place. The prophetess, worldly famous for her uncanny knack of predicting doom, had appeared in front of Silver and warned him about his past that is soon to haunt him once more. As usual, the stubborn wizard ignored her words and ruthlessly ignored his own safety in search for his supposedly dead parents. "I will stop at nothing to find my parents, nothing!" he had declared determinedly at the prophetess, failing to notice the glimmer of sadness in her eyes. But Serenia had seen it, and was touched by her concern towards Silver. _

"_Perhaps it would be wiser if we listen, Sil," she said tentatively back then, touching his arm. Facing her, Silver merely tightened his jaw and shook his head stubbornly. Sighing, the two women knew that they were wasting their breath. If he says he wants it, he will get it, no matter what the stakes are. And at the moment, the stakes were their lives. Lord Thantos strikes again. This time, he had sent his armies to annihilate Silver, for what reason she hadn't the faintest idea. Yet somehow she felt it had something to do with his past that the prophetess had nagged about._

"_Oi, Rene! Snap out of it and get out while you can!"_

_Serenia snapped out from her reverie. To her utmost horror, she stood frozen at her spot as she watched Silver being smothered by swordsman and hunters alike. "Silver!" she screamed, leaving the shadows and dashed forwards, only to stop at his shout. _

"_No, Rene! Get out while you can! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just GO!"_

_Torn between heeding his words and wanting to be beside him, Serenia stood her ground, biting her lip as she forced her tears back. At the next angry shout from the frustrated wizard, she finally made up her decision and ran for her life. "I'll find you, SilverBane. I'll find you no matter what! Pray that you'll still be alive then," she vowed silently, her tears blurring her vision as she stumbled blindly across the dense forest of Payon._

"Did I do the right thing? Was I right to leave Sil alone like that?" she whispered silently, tears racking uncontrollably throughout her body. She didn't bother to hold back her tears and anguish. Silver didn't recognize her. He didn't even know she existed. Furthermore, from what she saw, the boisterous wizard has a girlfriend, maybe even more. Should she just leave him be? Should she just keep the hurt all by herself? As much as she loved Silver and wanted him by her side, she knew she could never break apart his relationship with that priestess just like that. Serenia stared unseeingly at the panoramic views around her and pondered…


End file.
